A significant number of existing water dispensers use gravity as the driving force to dispense water from the water dispenser. In this type of water dispenser, the water bottle is positioned above the dispensing location. These dispensers are referred to as “Top-Loading” water dispensers. Top-Loading water dispensers typically include means for receiving a five (5) gallon water bottle at the uppermost portion of the water dispenser. Five (5) gallon water bottles are quite heavy making it difficult for some individuals to mount the water bottle on the uppermost portion of the water cooler. Top-Loading water dispensers typically dispense water for human consumption. Therefore, it is important that the water contact surfaces of the water dispenser be periodically cleaned. The cleaning process is generally known as “sanitization.” Top-Loading water dispensers typically are simple devices with few components in contact with the drinking water. Hence, the sanitization process is relatively easy. A number of Top-Loading water dispensers are designed to improve the sanitization process. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,361,942 and 5,439,145 disclose Top-Loading water dispensers designed to improve the sanitization process. Ebac Limited sells Top-Loading water dispensers designed to improve the sanitization process utilizing at least some of the features disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,361,942 and 5,439,145 including the removable manifold unit, reservoir and associated plastic or rubber tubing. This removable assembly is marketed under the Ebac Limited trademark WATERTRAIL.
To overcome the problems of Top-Loading water dispensers, water dispensers in which the water bottle is stored in the lower portion of the water dispenser have been proposed. Since these systems cannot rely upon gravity to dispense drinking water, pumps are typically employed to pump the drinking water to the dispensing location located above the water bottle. These types of water dispensers are referred to herein as “Bottom-Loading” water dispensers. An example of such a water dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2005/0072813. Bottom-Loading water dispensers address the water bottle installation problems associated with Top-Loading water dispensers. However, Bottom-Loading water dispensers employ significantly more water contact components than Top-Loading water dispensers and, therefore, are more difficult to sanitize effectively. Ebac Limited introduced a Bottom-Loading water dispenser under the trademark EASYLOADER with a removable WATERTRAIL in an effort to make sanitization easier. However, this water dispenser was expensive to produce and has not succeeded commercially.
Therefore, there is a significant need for a Bottom-Loading liquid dispenser that can be readily and easily sanitized while also being relatively inexpensive to manufacture. There is also a significant need for a simplified removable liquid transport assembly that conveys liquid between a liquid storage container, one or more reservoirs and a dispensing nozzle or nozzles of the liquid dispenser that can be manufactured at a relatively low cost and can be readily removed and replaced to ensure effective sanitization of the liquid dispenser.